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[Pic 1] Conglog - View up Cwm Orthin (May 1990)

At the head of Cwm Orthin are the huge waste tips from Rhosydd quarry, which dominate the view from the valley floor. But also there, over to the right, where the track climbs steeply up to the ridge, is another quarry - Conglog, named after a mountain lake located to the north over the steep ridge on which the site sits. This is very much a small working, no big tonnages involved here, yet it did have a fine tramway that ran along the valley floor (clearly visible in pic 1 above) to the mouth of Cwm Orthin where it joined with the Cwmorthin inclines down to Tan-y-Griseau. This tramway course now serves as a path through the valley (plus a gate way into the mountains beyond) and has become a very popular walk.

[Pic 2] Conglog - Tramway reaches the quarry (May 1990)

Pic 2 shows the end of the tramway course as it approaches the mill area. As can be seen, this tramway was extremely well made - no doubt with the intention of carrying far more slate along its rails than it ended up doing so. Actually, those rails were ex Ffestiniog railway (purchased by the Conglog Slate & Slab Co. Ltd.) and laid down in 1874. This grandly titled company was wound up just 7 years later and from then on the quarry had a sporadic life until closure before the first World War. Of the mill - more later - but also in view are the barracks that belonged to Rhosydd.

[Pic 3] Conglog - The Mill (May 1990)

These are the remains of the mill - very derelict and much altered so that a herd of sheep can be easilly penned up inside as there are (now) few exits. Note the (mostly) still standing launder pillars leading towards the site of the wheelpit alongside the mills eastern wall. Also, the faint course of the incline dropping from its head just above the path climbing the hillside towards Rhosydd.

[Pic 4] Conglog - Lower Adit (May 1990)

The lower adit entrance - now partly buried by waste - is no longer safe inside. Infact it would be unwise to wander inside any of the workings.

(Continued on Page 2)

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